What are the typical traditions and customs found in a South Indian Hindu wedding? What kinds of clothes do people wear? What is the Mongol sutra and the Saptapadi and what do these rights and rituals represent? How are family members involved in weddings? What role does food play in a wedding? We'll answer these questions and many more in today's episode, South Indian Weddings with Dheeraj Varanasi. Welcome to Wiser World, a podcast for busy people
who need a refresher on all things world. Here we explore different regions of the globe, giving you the facts and context you need to think historically about current events. I truly believe that the more we learn about the world, the more we embrace our shared humanity. I'm your host, Alli Roper. Thanks for being here. So I live in an area with many Indian American people. I have traveled to India. I love
Indian food. I love Indian TV shows, but I have to admit that when it comes to Indian weddings, I have been at a loss. They look so beautiful and meaningful, but I am definitely standing on the outside looking in with no idea what is going on or why. And I have always wanted to know, and maybe you're like me. And if you are, this episode is for you. Today I ask my guest, Dheeraj Varanasi, a wide variety of questions about Southern Indian weddings.
This episode has actually shaped up to be a little bit different than we expected. So Dheeraj is from the state of Tallengana in South India, and he grew up in Hyderabad. But he currently lives in Germany, where he works as a material scientist in cancer research. And we chatted for nearly two hours recorded the whole interview, but when I went back to edit, much of the audio had issues that we just couldn't quite fix. So we had to
free tool. And what I have done is created this episode to still follow the flow of our conversation, but there will be clips of Dheeraj talking about different topics, rather than the more common back and forth flow of a conversation between us. We've never done this before. So we're experimenting here. Hopefully you enjoy it. We did our best. And I really enjoyed talking to you to Dheeraj, and he does a wonderful job of explaining
things. So I hope this episode fits the need. Before we get into the interview, I do have a few things I want to have us all keep in mind. The first is that Indian weddings vary from region to region, from family to family, from person to person, from caste to caste, and not all Indians are Hindu. But in this episode, we're going to talk about South Indian Hindu weddings. And I'll be totally honest and say I originally wanted to do just one episode on all Indian weddings, but quickly learned
that there is no way we could possibly cover all of that in one episode. India's a massive country has over 1.4 billion people living in it. So every state and region and ethnic group has unique traditions. It is most well known that South Indian weddings tend to be a bit more simple than North Indian weddings, which are consistently more elaborate. One day I would love to do an episode on North Indian weddings and maybe more on other Indian
weddings as well. But right now we've decided that we're going to focus in on just South Indian weddings and we're not even going to cover. There's no way we could cover all of the unique traditions and customs even within South India. Second, this episode was designed for non-Indian people who want to know more about South Indian weddings. I'm not looking at Indian wedding experts here. I told that to Dhraj at the beginning.
So we just decided not to go into every single tradition right or ritual because of time. And also because it's just a lot of content. So we tried to keep it to the basics and believe me when I say even the basics have a lot going on and there's still more than we didn't cover. The third thing is that we talk about arranged marriages mostly in this episode. And this is because the large majority of Indian weddings are still arranged.
This means that the parents and a matchmaker are heavily involved in choosing a spouse for their child. So when we talk about arranged marriages, often the bride and groom don't typically know each other very well before the wedding. A love marriage means that the couple met and fell in love on their own. So the marriage wasn't arranged. Just a little vocab there. Okay, let's get into the episode. Indian weddings are so momentous and here
is Dhraj explaining why. Weddings in India are like the huge cultural thing. As I said, after moving to the west, the one thing I noticed is it's about two individuals rightly so. But in India it's more about just two families coming together and this culture is so imbibed in the way they are brought up that it's never about you, it's about the
family. Indian weddings are kind of fake for that reason. Just imagine the number of people you'd have in an Indian wedding, for example, like upwards of 500, I've never attended a wedding just like Loki. I've heard my friends do weddings during COVID and they were like we were lucky enough to hold it to like 50 or 100 cap but it was like crazy. So in my life, yeah, I really small COVID wedding would be 50 to 100 but an average wedding
is over 500 people because we're looking at a giant. So it's a communal, it's not just familial, it's also communal. Yeah, and to begin with everything in India is loud so why not weddings to be louder. So this bringing together of two families can get pretty expensive. The Indian wedding industry is estimated to be worth around 130 billion dollars. Now the actual ceremony of getting married itself usually lasts somewhere between three to four
hours depending on the family. But the wedding itself with the traditions and rights that lead up to it and after it sometimes can last between three to five days. That's a lot of party toast, especially financially and a lot of this falls on the father of the right. So let's talk about the tradition of fathers marrying off their daughters and
here is D-Dutch. Yeah, it's like traditionally since age old custom where the party active society so man is kind of the head of the house, household and so it's like it's seen as responsibility to get the daughter married off and that's also a reason why the child marriages were so relevant in 15, 16, 17 since being here. And it's not only that he needs to get his daughter married off but it needs to be a big celebration so that the people in the community and we're not talking about
your family or the girls family or the vice family. It's about the community to know that he is getting his daughter married off. So that's the thing that makes Indian weddings and puts so much of pressure on unless they're like unless they're pressured on a female side to get her married off. With this pressure in mind most weddings in India are arranged. Again that means that the parents or a matchmaker help pair the couple up and he usually starts with the groom going to the bride's house.
So let's talk about that. Yeah it's the family that that meet along with bride and groom of course but like so that's the first step initiation. So let's say hey my son is single, your daughter's single let's see what happens so like you go to their house like groom goes to the bride's house, meet and greet the parents who talk and then like you would talk to the girl a hundred years ago that was that that means
you're married a hundred years ago. Like yeah now at least you you have freedom to say yes or no but a hundred one or five years ago that was that like and then what happens is so there's something called sambulam which is like a plate with a sari and some stuff. I'm not exactly sure about how to get back to you but it would be exchanged. It's like how you exchange rings with these other the first thing is the family would exchange in the presence of a priest so the priest is always there again.
So you ask a non-negotiable priest is non-negotiable so the priest would like initiate and hold this ceremony then he would look at horoscopes of both both guy and girl and then he would pick out an auspicious date for the wedding according to their moon sign and what not. So let's talk a little bit more about this because I found this especially interesting.
Based off of the couple's horoscopes and other astrological signs the Hindu priest usually picks out in auspicious time and this is a date that is down to the minute when the couple should actually be married in the ceremony of marriage which we'll talk about in a second.
Now this time could be in the really early morning like 3.0.6am or it could be mid-morning or middle of the day or in the late afternoon and traditionally speaking that time is the auspicious time that's the moment they should be married so he could say February 7th, 2024 at 2am and that's a good time and that's the time that you should do it.
Now Dita just talked about how not everybody actually does it at the exact time that the priest says but traditionally speaking that is what people have done some people still do this and your guests and your community support you in this which I think is really special. Then after this date is set the wedding plans can begin and they can really be as simple or as extravagant as the family of the bride want it to be and here's Dita just talking a little bit more about that.
I mean it's not a necessary thing that it needs to be huge as I said traditionally it's the bride's father's responsibility so whatever he can afford it the saddest thing is like I know people who put their life savings into one wedding.
Just to get that wedding feel so it doesn't necessarily need to be you know grand year but you would have like more number of people it's also believe that the more number of people you feed on your wedding day it's good for your karma and your marriage as well so that's also one reason why you call everybody. So the larger the group and the more people you feed the better for your karma I did not know that.
Always that's why in most of the Indian festivals and stuff the temples kind of have this free food donation services in India you would believe that a food donate orders kind of it's one of the noblest things to do. Aha now it makes sense why Indian weddings are so huge the bigger the group that you feed the better the karma it all makes sense now.
The next thing that I was curious about was clothing so clothing in South Indian weddings can vary but typically women wear sari's in either white gold sometimes red but the styles and colors and fabrics really can vary from place to place it's also common for
brides to change stories throughout the festivities and sometimes they'll buy multiple outfits to keep things interesting because again the ceremony itself can be multiple hours and so having a change of clothes is often part of the deal men typically wear an Indian suit
which is often like a robe worn with leggings or some wear a jacket with kind of an erect collar and pants and in the south this is typically made out of linen sometimes their clothes can even match the bride like they'll go shopping together so that they match. It is also common for men to wear a holy thread around their body before and during the wedding.
Now this tradition heralds way back to ancient traditions from the Brahmin cast which in the Hindu cast system the Brahmin is the priestly cast highest cast and there was this thread ceremony for young boys typically around eight or nine in the Brahmin cast still exists
today and in this ceremony there are typically three strands of sacred thread that are wrapped around a boy's body usually from shoulder to waist and these represent a holy vow they represent the boys promised to his family to take over family responsibilities when the
time is right uphold certain Hindu rules and guidelines and then the three vows are tied into a knot that also represents the three kind of main Hindu gods Brahma Vishnu Shiva and even if you aren't in the Brahma cast and this wasn't done for you as a child eight or nine many grooms still have this thread ceremony before their wedding and typically wear a thread around their chest during the wedding.
Again, even if you're not Brahmin this is fairly standard leading up to the wedding typically the bride and groom take baths in turmeric water in their respective homes before sometimes a paste of turmeric, saffron, sandalwood are put on the bride's face and her body and oil is also put into her hair and then they take a bath in holy water to purify the body.
After this many couples are decorated with henna on their hands and their feet this is typically done for the few days leading up to the wedding. So henna is a pretty big deal in Indian culture it's symbolic of good luck particularly before a wedding and they reapply the henna every day because the strong color shows this idea that their love will remain strong. So there's also a lot of fanfare about the bride's jewelry and makeup and a lot of preparation goes into her appearance as well.
Sometimes there is a pre-marriage ritual where the bride and groom and their close family and friends will get together for something called the sanguit ceremony. Sanguit means sung together or song so at this ceremony they get together and they dance and sing and just have a really great time. Then on the day of the wedding typically the bride performs what is called the gari puja.
Puja is basically another word for prayer so this is a prayer to the goddess gari who is the goddess of purity and virtue and also goes by parvati in Hinduism. So parvati is said to be the wife of Lord Shiva which is again one of the most important gods in Hinduism and they are kind of considered to be the first couple. So seeking blessings from gari parvati this is really important to have things go smoothly in the wedding.
So that is one of the things that the bride does is a gari puja, a specific prayer to this particular goddess. Another thing that some South Indian cultures will do is called a ganesh puja. Ganesh is the elephant headed god and when you think of an elephant you know it's big, it's impressive and if you're walking behind it it's going to clear the way before you right.
Well, praying to the god ganesh is like this, it's praying for him to eliminate obstacles before you so that things can go smoothly. So a ganesh puja is also common before a wedding and by the way people do ganesh puja before many things like before starting a new job or buying a new home, things like that where you just kind of want the way cleared before you. And when it comes to the actual wedding itself, there is often a four posted tent structure called the mandap or the mandapam.
This is like kind of the stage. It's the stage where the bride and groom get married. There is a holy fire that is burning there and this holy fire is considered really the holiest thing in Hinduism because fire purifies. It also represents communication with the gods who have infinite knowledge and wisdom and so the mandap is usually beautifully decorated with fresh flowers and other decor. This is like the moment, the moment of truth, right?
Before the groom comes in, sometimes the groom's feet can be washed with holy water by either young members of the bride's family or by the father of the bride. So this shows respect for the groom before he enters the venue and sometimes happens even when he's in the venue. This doesn't happen in every single culture but in some cultures, the father of the bride really does wash the feet of the groom's show. Thank you for taking my daughter.
Okay, now let's talk about the wedding ritual itself and the audio for this from D Raj was good. So again, every wedding varies from state to state, from cast to cast, but let's hear what D Raj has to say about the wedding ritual itself. So the wedding itself is like 3, 4 hours and by the time the bride's already, bride will come to the wedding hall. The groom would already be there.
There would be two priests usually, one from either family, they would appoint their own priest and it's the beauty of them to make this wedding together. So it's not just one person, it's two person and sometimes they're going to be conflict because two of them doing their job and like one would say this, one would say that as always, some rift, some friction is possible but it's the beauty of both the priests, one from each family to facilitate and make this wedding a good celebration.
And then comes, so by the time the bride has already in the hall, the groom would already be there, he would be sitting on the mandat, he would be doing something that the priest tells him to do. So usually it would, it would usually be the priest chanting hymns and mantras and half the time nobody understands it, like not even the priest he would understand it because he on that. And then he would be putting a drop by drop oil into the fire so that it doesn't die out.
So when the bride comes to the mandat, they would sit opposite to each other. They would not sit side by side initially when the bride comes, they would sit opposite to each other and there would be a silk curtain kind of thing in between them held by the rest of the family members, not the parents but like you know the brother, the sisters, whatever. They would hold that screen kind of thing in between the two so that they don't look at each other.
Well, it's kind of a thing that they should not look at each other and the priest would go on chanting hymns, chanting mantras, telling bride and groom to say that recite the same things to each other. Then at that auspicious time so usually the most misconception, I mean if you're from India you would probably know it but like the misconception even if you know something of Indian weddings is that the smughutam which is the auspicious time that's fixed to the minute on the day.
People think it's for tying the holy thread but this time is usually for something called jeelekarra, wellum which is so jeelekarra is like human seeds and wellum is like jaggery. So you'd make a paste with those two and this is specific to South Indian culture. It's not there in North India as far as I know.
So there you would take the space so both of the bride and the groom would be handed over the space and it's the mixture usually and human seeds and jaggery they go well together when you mix them they kind of become one solid mixture. So both of them would take that and at the same time on this eddus auspicious time to the minute you would actually place that mixture on the head of your partner. Right in the center of the forehead where the hairline meets the forehead right?
Yeah a bit towards the hair but like yeah that's the main consensus. The significance behind it is that like I said jaggery and human seeds kind of go well together and the significance is that both of you are so you are asked different as jaggery and human. Alright so let's pass you for a second. If you're wondering what jaggery and human are, human is a common spice in many parts of the world and it's heavily used in Indian cooking. It's pretty pungent, it's savory by itself.
You know it can be pretty bitter all by itself but with other things it really brings out the flavor of other spices. Jaggery in this context is pretty much palm sap so it's sweet it can be used as a replacement for sugar. So this paste that he's talking about is rubbed on the heads of the couple at this auspicious time of marriage that exact moment that the Hindu priest foresaw.
And this is a symbol of bringing together two different lives, two different perspectives, two different personalities, two different families to make something good which I think the symbolism of that is just really special. After that moment so once they placed the hand on the forehead of each other, just before that the screen would be lifted off and you can look at each other's in the eye and like from that moment on you can actually talk to each other like that's okay.
And then the bride would change position. So like it's kind of a break and like she would change version. Then you would set side by side with the fire in the middle and then like you would try to put the toilet to that and so that it doesn't die out. And from then on you would do things together like you would put a spoon, she would put a spoon or you would wash your hands off like into a small glass together. So a lot of rituals and mantras that go together they keep happening.
And the next big moment would be the thread that you try around the neck of the bride. Let's take a quick break to hear from this episode sponsors. Even though I was a teacher it wasn't until I became a parent that I fully realized how many decisions there are regarding children's education. We all want to set our kids up for success but every child is unique and needs different things to learn in the best way for them. It's a personal decision.
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In some cultures it can be a gold chain but in did I just experience it's a thread that is made gold by applying turmeric to it and the groom gently wraps this thread three times around the bride's neck like a necklace so it's really loosely around her neck and he's going to explain a little bit more about that here.
There are usually three knots that the groom has to tie around the bride's neck with that thread and so the chants and mantras are not deli good like Sanskrit so the mantras are like similar or across India. So at this moment the priest would utter three syllables called Manasa, Vacha and Karmana so which actually means from the heart through the words and by my deeds it's like exchanging vows to each other in the western wedding but here you don't say it out loud you just like tie a thread.
So this tradition with the holy thread is very sacred it's a very big moment in the wedding ceremony and it's called the Mangal sutra and after this there are typically other mantras and traditions but again they vary from custom to custom but there's one particular ritual in Telugu weddings that I found really tender and cosmic and I think Deeraj does a great job of explaining it here.
Then there are few things that follow after the wedding and one of my favorite bits in Telugu wedding at least is this thing called Arundati Nakshatram. Nakshatram means a star and Arundati is the name for that star. So in the Indian horoscope it's mostly based on the moon sign rather than the sun sign and the ancient Indian astrologers have spotted like 27 stars and they've given Indian names to those stars.
In that line this Arundati is also one of those stars that was spotted in the ancient India and it was named Arundati. So this star is of significance in a Telugu wedding especially. So what happens is after both of you are wedded the guy would so the groom and bride would go out along with the feast. So you'd be in a hall or like you'd be under a tent.
So like ideally if it's a day marriage you would actually go out into the sun and the feast would say you should look in depending on where you are he would say like you should look not feast, not west, south like in whatever direction and you should point out to a star basically. You might see a star, you might not see a star.
I mean most of the time you won't see anything but you know it's a whole thing that okay so I've shown you that and the significance of that is in the western astrology terms it's actually a pair of two stars that are orbiting each other in the constellation of oyster nature. In that big bear constellation there are two stars, Alkar and Mizar. They are kind of revolving around each other.
Those two stars that binary star system and the significance is just like those stars revolving around each other from henceforth your life should actually revolve around each other both husband and wife. You should be asked devoted to each other ask the binary star system. That's the whole significance and in my whole lifetime so far I haven't seen any couple actually sparking that fast system out but it's fun you know like just to be there and like watching them do that it's fun.
Now following rituals such as that one it's common in south Indian weddings for the bride and groom to exchange garlands. Again this shows they have entered into married life and then it's common for a bride to be blessed by a number of happily married women. Sometimes they bring little gifts offer positive words of encouragement and they must be married and not widowed. That's pretty important.
Another common ritual is for the father of the bride to symbolically give his daughter to the groom by the father putting his daughter's hand on the groom's hand over a coconut or betta leaf and pouring holy water over their hands. So you can see that there's a lot of these unique beautiful traditions but again it just varies wedding to wedding. There's usually a lot going on but there are major points that are really important.
And one of the final major rituals in a south Indian wedding is the circling of the holy fire seven times or walking seven steps around the holy fire. This is common among nearly every Hindu wedding throughout India and it has very powerful symbolism. The bride and groom either hold hands or sometimes they hold pinky fingers and they circle the fire seven times or in some areas they just take seven steps together again it just depends.
So this is often called the Saptapati with each step they vow to each other that they will do seven things. So I'm going to list them for you. The first is that they're going to fulfill their household responsibilities. The second is that they're going to provide emotional, mental and spiritual support to each other. The third thing is they're going to pursue wealth and success. They're going to work hard. The fourth thing is they're going to uphold the family values.
The fifth is to be loyal to one another. The sixth is to support shared and different interests. And I thought that was really interesting. Again, it kind of goes back to the Jaggery and Cooman paste. This idea that each of you is different and we're going to support each other even though we might have different interests, things that separate us from each other. We're going to support each other in those things. And the seventh thing is to remain lifelong friends.
And the word friends came up lots of times in our interview. And I thought that that was also really beautiful. So those are the seven things that are represented in walking around the Holy Fire. After this, in some South Indian cultures, the bride and groom will pour uncooked rice that's been dipped in turmeric. Tamaric is very yellow. They'll kind of dump these over each other's heads. They'll do other rituals.
But typically the saftepaddi, the seven steps or seven times around the Holy Fire, it can be kind of the end of the ceremony itself. And adults in the crowd can then come up and give their blessings. They can sprinkle turmeric, dipped rice on the couple or just talk, shower their blessings before going on to either the reception afterward or going home. Now typically once the main rituals are over, there's food. And as Deeraj mentioned earlier, feeding a big crowd is good karma.
And sometimes there will be a large feast afterward. It really depends on the family. Deeraj has some thoughts on this. One thing you should know is in an Indian wedding, if it's a proper Indian wedding, food has no time. Like you should make sure that there is something available all the time for any of the guests. You don't know when I guess would come up to you and you'd ask like, I want something to eat. So you just have food available all the time?
You should actually make sure that it's available all the time. If you strictly speak. Okay. Right. So food has nothing to do with the two worlds. Food is a completely independent organism in this entire industry. It's like you can go at any time, you can eat anything you want and you can come back. I also learned that food in South Indian weddings is typically vegetarian, though it's not always that way. And it's often served on banana or plantain leaves.
And when the meal is over, some customs have you full the leaf from top to bottom. And that shows that you enjoyed the food. The bride and groom typically eat and mingle with their guests and enjoy the rest of the evening. Or I guess it can be really early in the morning. So it just really depends on the wedding until the end.
And then there's kind of a send off the send off is a big moment because it's where the family of the bride, particularly the father kind of sends off the bride from her maiden home into her new home. And traditionally families would have the bride stay in the in-laws home on their first night as a married couple. And while this continues in a lot of families, not every family does this anymore, but it is pretty common for the married couple to spend their first married night in a familial home.
Because again, family is very, very important in an Indian wedding. So to wrap up this episode, I really loved what Deedaj has to say about Hindu weddings in general. And the act in an Indian wedding, so like, call these things, go back to the manuscript and ancient texts that gave us this knowledge. So I think there's a symbolism there that you should be closer, you should be like attentive to each other, be loyal to each other at life.
What, not everything that is idealized in the world right now, that's actually the traditional way in a Hindu Indian wedding. So that's the spirit of the marriage. And again, like, wherever you have a chance to go to an Indian wedding next time, just think about this. It's not just two people. I mean, it's so easy to mistake it as like, okay, it's just two people. So like, why this fuss? But for an Indian, like, I grew up in India.
So like, for an Indian mind of from an Indian perspective, yes, it's about two Indians, but also it's about, it's a celebration of two families, essentially. So I love that thought of celebrations, celebration of two families. And in that vein, I asked Didadaj what was his favorite part of wedding celebrations? And he responded that it's the custom of looking for the binary star system. And this is what he has to say about it.
And he said, you think that I always like, I like the ritual where the room shows the drive-by are in the scene of Shraddhrund. Like, that's like crazy because I think it doesn't happen all across India. So like, it's very limited to the southern part and I think mostly Canada and Telugu custom that is. So I mean, the symbolism behind it is so good. That's the stars, right? The stars orbiting around each other.
Yeah. The binary star system and it's like, you need to be center of each other's attention. You need to be center of each other's lives. Yes, in a way, it's beautiful. I mean, that's one thing I like also because not only because of the symbolism, but also because it's just fun. So say you have a wedding at like 11.30 in the day. So like last year, I attended my best friend's wedding.
The wedding took place at like 11.30 in the day in me, which is like, the temperature is like, what is something? And the guy is taking his wife out to show us that which he can't even see in the sunlight. I'm like, that's just fun. You know, like, so there are a lot of rolling jokes in every wedding that happens. People would always make fun. Okay. It's there. Are you sure it's not the other way? You'll find it in the wrong direction, as we draw. I love that.
I love that Indian weddings are fun. And they're also very celebratory and also complex. There are again, a lot of things that we didn't cover in this episode, but we did cover the main things. And hopefully, if you're invited to a South Indian wedding, you've got a better idea of what to expect. Or if you know someone who's getting married or going to a wedding like this, you'll just have better questions and better conversations and better connections, hopefully, because of this episode.
I'm so glad that I got to chat with Dedaj and I wanted to thank him for taking the time to share with us a little bit about South Indian weddings. Really appreciate his time. One thing that we failed to talk about in this episode is Vermillion. Now, Vermillion is sometimes called Siendor and it is a bright red or kind of an orange red powder that's very important in Hindu culture and religious traditions. Many people really use it daily.
And it's traditionally made out of turmeric powder, lime, and actually a mercury compound. But nowadays, sometimes they use red lead or zinc oxide. Either way, this red powder married women often wear along the part of their hair or a small dot on their forehead to signify that she is married. That's really common. And I thought that was an important thing to add that here. I also think my main takeaway from learning about Hindu weddings is the emphasis on family.
I have small kids, so I confess I haven't really thought a whole lot about my children being married one day. But chatting with Dedaj helped me see that marriage isn't just a big deal for those who are getting married, it's a lot for the people who have been heavily involved in those two people's lives, especially their parents. It's a big deal to raise kids. And when they get married and move into that next stage of life, it's got to bring a lot of feelings.
And I love how big and bold and special these weddings are and how those who attend really cheer on the couple. It definitely makes me want to be a better cheerleader at the next wedding that I go to. Like yeah, you got this. You're going to do great. And if you're really by all of the vocabulary terms, don't worry, I have taken the rights and rituals and written them down in the show notes for you so you can be able to see them for yourself. I also have them on Patreon.
For those of you who want to join us there, you can do that at patreon.com slash wiserworld podcast. This is where you can learn more about each episode and you support the podcast for just a few dollars a month. I really appreciate my Patreon members. I have some great resources for you if you want to check those out. I'll be back in a month with more on the world and I have a great 101 series I've been working on. It's coming up soon.
I think you're really going to enjoy it and it's meeting stuff. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcasting app to make sure you're notified when new episodes drop. You can also subscribe to my free monthly email by going to my website, wiserworldpodcast.com. You can also find me on Instagram at wiserworldpodcast. Loved learning about south indian weddings with you today. Thank you for listening and sharing and just making the world a little wiser.